The 28th annual Concert of Colors, the largest free world music and diversity festival in the American Midwest, will be aired on Detroit Public TV (56.1), WDET 101.9 FM, and via online streaming from October 6-11, 2020. The festival regularly takes place in Detroit (Michigan, USA).
We talked to the festival’s director and founder, Ismael Ahmed about this year’s edition marked by COVID-19. In addition to his role as the Concert of Colors festival director, Ismael Ahmed is the host of radio show ‘This Island Earth’ on WDET.
When and how did you get involved with the festival Concert of Colors?
I have been involved in putting on concerts for progressive causes since the early 70s.
In 1979, I became involved in Detroit’s Rock Against Racism – part of a worldwide movement that started in England – working with bands to put on concerts to counter racist attacks on people of color. At that time, I was the Director of ACCESS (the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services) and became a member of the board of New Detroit, a city-wide coalition started after the Detroit Rebellion in 1967. They asked me if I could put together a coalition of the Communities of Color to celebrate their cultures and eventually work together for systemic change.
After several highly successful events in many of their neighborhoods, the City of Detroit (under Mayor Coleman Young, the city’s first black mayor) offered us the use of Chene Park, a 20,000-seat venue, and the equipment necessary to put on a major festival. And so, the Concert of Colors was born: at first as a one-day event, but 10 years later it drew over 100,000 people. Today, the average attendance is 30,000-50,000.
Tell us about the festival. Is it just music? What kind of acts play at the festival?
Though the festival has focused on music over the years, it has workshops (like the yearly forum on community culture and race) and other educational activities. Children’s programs, movies, dance, plays, poetry, art, food, vendors, and just about anything can pop up.
Why the name Concert of Colors?
The name was chosen by the Cultural exchange committee, a group of 50 organizations from the communities of color and others. It has a double meaning: the concert represents the colors of the peoples of the planet, and a rainbow of music.
How has the festival evolved throughout the years?
It has grown from a one-day event, featuring performances by the African American, Native American, Latino, Arab, and Asian communities, into a week-long event including every major arts venue in the city. It includes major acts from all cultures and communities and has developed a major emphasis on Detroit music.
When did you become interested in world music?
I became interested in world music when my father moved to Detroit in the 50s to set up an Arabic record store in Detroit’s Greektown. He also owned a china shop in Detroit’s Latino community on the southwest side, where he would play the music of Umm Kulthum so loud it wafted into the street. Right across the street was a rock ‘n roll confectionary where Buddy Holly’s music wafted out. If you stood in the middle of the street, you could sample both cultures at once. Later, I was highly influenced by the international sounds of Rock Against Racism: Reggae, Afrobeat, Salsa, as well as Detroit electronica, rock, and jazz. Curating the Concert of Colors and working with festivals around the globe has been a joy. I have also hosted Detroit’s top world music radio show, “This Island Earth” on Detroit Public Radio WDET, for 25 years.
Are there certain genres or regions of the world you are particularly interested in?
Frankly, it’s about the music, not the genres or country (though I am partial to Arab Rock and Afrobeat).
How has COVID-19 affected Concert of Colors this year?
COVID has definitely put some obstacles in our way. We have lost half of our sponsors and have had to go virtual. But, the good news is that we have forged an agreement with Detroit Public Television WTVS (who have a potential audience of 2 million in the US and another 2 million in Canada) to broadcast all 6 days of the festival, as well WDET Detroit Public Radio (who who have a weekend audience of 200,000). We are also working with sister festivals as well. So, in the end, we expect a much larger audience than usual. Additionally, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit’s premier arts institution, has agreed to turn its film theater into a sound stage and provide all of the sound and backline for free. There’s an old saying: “When you don’t have money, you should have friends.”
What have been doing these days while there were orders in many cities and states to stay home?
Wearing masks, Zoom calling, and working with the marketing company called Marx Lane, who are donating their time to do a major digital campaign (and obviously, there will be no live audience).
What was the first big lesson you learned about the music business?
You can’t know everything – rely on your friends. The people at globalFEST, Rock Paper Scissors, Mundial, friends around the world who do sister festivals, the people at WOMEX, uberproducer Don Was, and all the great ethnic community leaders and music makers in Detroit. People can change the world when they work together.
In what ways are you promoting the festival?
We are working with Marx Lane and Rock Paper Scissors to grow our streaming sources, as well as Facebook, YouTube, Detroit Free Press, WDET radio, WTVS public television, Big City Blues, and other national magazines. Additionally, we are working with all the major arts and many community organizations to get the word out. For more on this and the festival, you may want to check out our website at concertofcolors.com.
What plans do you have for Concert of Colors in 2021?
We are hoping to be live and celebrate the cultures of the world together next year, and maybe bring a bit of peace, love, and justice to the community.
The 2020 lineup includes:
The Don Was Detroit All-Star Revue: Returning to the festival again by popular demand for his annual show. Acclaimed producer, Blue Note Records president, and Detroit native Don Was assembles his house band and annual revue of local artists. This year’s revue will serve as a tribute to John Lee Hooker, featuring: Rock & Roll of Famer (Tutor to Jimi Hendrix) Billy Davis; Award-winning blues rocker Laith Al-Saadi; blues singer-songwriter powerhouse Thornetta Davis; roots musician-storyteller Reverend Robert Jones; jazz poet John Sinclair, drummer Tino Gross; Harmonica Shah; drummer Muruga Booker; R&B funk-rock vocalist Tosha Owens and soul-funk blues musician Chris Canas; Detroit blues guitar virtuosos Howard Glazer and Emanuel Young; Detroit deep soul artist Laura Rain; and celebrated blues guitarist Bobby Murray with powerful blues and soul singer Lenney Watkins.
Roy Ayers with Jessica Care Moore. Roy Ayers is one of the finest jazz vibraphonists and one of the most sampled artists in history. He’s among the best-known and most respected jazz and R&B artists on the scene today. Jessica Care Moore is the founder and CEO of Moore Black Press and Executive Producer and Host of Black WOMEN Rock! An internationally renowned poet, playwright, performance artist, and live arts producer, she is the 2019 and 2017 Knight Arts Award Winner, 2019 Kresge Arts Fellow, NAACP Great Expectations Awardee, and an Alain Locke Award recipient from the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Digging Roots: Indigenous Canadian roots-rock group. Bursting from Turtle Island (Canada) with their global blues, reggae and soul sounds––ShoShona and Raven, the beating heart of Digging Roots, breathe life into songs from their land and Indigenous Anishinabe and Onkwehonwe traditions. Since Digging Roots’ inception they have won numerous awards, toured in Europe, the US, Mexico, Australia, and from east-to-north-to-western Canada multiple times. They also have three albums under their belt including a JUNO. Currently Raven is finishing a new Digging Roots album with ShoShona titled ‘Zhawenim’. Raven and ShoShona have been managing Digging Roots for ten years.
Sean Blackman’s In Transit: Detroit-born award-winning composer/nylon string guitarist known for mixing global music with a Detroit rhythm section. This year Sean will focus on upbeat music from the Balkan regions and Armenia. Sean’s unique world music style is influenced by his passion for traditional ethnic music from across the globe and growing up in Detroit – jazz, rock and soul. Blackman, selects the most talented and celebrated international artists to share his stage, each show is a festive atmosphere of music and dance from the regions of the world that he chooses to blend. From Brazil to Armenia to Cameroon, to Senegal to Lebanon to Detroit, Blackman takes audiences around the world through music and dance, always landing in the legendary city of Detroit.
Xiao Dong Wei earned her degree ‘Master of the Erhu’ degree at Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. After receiving numerous performance based awards, she gained official notoriety by touring with the Chinese Motion Picture Orchestra before moving to the United States in 2005. In 2005, Xiao Dong broke ground by forming an alternative chamber music trio composed of a bluegrass guitarist, a mandolin player, and Xiao Dong on erhu. Xiao Dong is currently a lecturer at the University of Michigan residential college.
La Inspiración with special guest RicanStruction: Latin dance band called La Inspiracion is a 10 piece band led by long time Detroit area community activist and musician Ozzie Rivera. Under the musical directorship of Bill Meyers the band brings together veterans of the “salsa” and jazz scenes in Detroit to bring a fresh approach to salsa, merengue, folkloric percussion, cumbia and Latin Jazz. The golden voices of Dulce Checkler and Pedro Bravo pay homage to the spirit of the “golden age of salsa”, the “70’s” and “80’s”, while also exploring new directions in hot Latin dance music.
RicanStruction: A new arts and cultural programming organization set up to promote the richness and diversity of Hispanic/Latin cultures. Based on the historical work of its predecessor/sister organization BombaRica, it’s particular emphasis is on the Spanish speaking Caribbean. Utilizing a performance/lecture approach RicanStruction presents a musical journey through the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and other regions of Latin America with significant African-Hispanic presence that provides a historical perspective on how three primary cultural and racial currents (African, Spanish, Native American) have influenced present day Latin American music and culture. A significant component of the presentations features participatory segments for audience members. The performance troupe includes its director Osvaldo “Ozzie” Rivera, dancers Celia Benvenutti, Angela Lugo, Sheila Royster, singer/dancer Naim Edwards as well as percussionists Chinelo Amen Ra, and Enrique Hernandez.
Leafar Village: A centennial tribute to jazz saxophonist and composer Charles Bird Parker Hailing from Detroit, Rafael Leafar is a multi-instrumentalist—master of saxophones, clarinets, flutes, piano, and electronica—as well as a composer, producer, educator, and creative improvisational performer. His connection to music was jazz, fostered by a musical family from an early age. His parents made life-changing investments to guarantee him access to quality education, moving back and forth to the suburbs while providing fruitful performance opportunities in Detroit that resulted in graduation from DSA, Detroit Civic Jazz Orchestra, and The New School for jazz. Since 2009, Leafar has had major recordings and performances with legendary artists such as: Reggie Workman, Robert Hurst, Marcus Belgrave, Spencer Barefield, Wendell Harrison, Jeff Tain Watts, Marion Hayden, and Sterling Toles.
Ed Love Tribute – A homage to the Detroit jazz radio legend, Ed has entertained and introduced new audiences of Detroit to the best bass in the world. He also hosted the nationally syndicated program The Evolution of Jazz, aimed to educate and entertain listeners on 125 stations nationwide. Ed’s show is enjoyed by fans on WDET every Saturday.
Science Gallery Detroit Presents: John Collins and Mark Flash Underground Resistance is a label for a movement, a movement that wants change by sonic revolution. John is a staple in the Detroit electronic music scene as an artist, producer, record label executive and booking agent. Detroit’s WJLB FM 98 and WDRQ 93.1, both gave him legendary mix shows. For Mark, it all began with him playing music with his father. Then he started incorporating instruments to his DJ sets in the neighborhood of Southwest Detroit. As Mark’s reputation started to grow, he began his alliance with Underground Resistance and became international.
Concert of Colors Forum on Community, Culture & Race: Community Self-Determination: The Concert of Colors Forum on Community, Culture & Race, one of the Arab American National Museum’s signature annual events, is a dynamic gathering of artists, activists and advocates who use performance and dialogue as a tool for advocacy and community building. This year’s program will be presented online at www.dptv.org.
The forum will be led by Ismael Ahmed. Panelists/performers (more TBA):
Leila Awadallah, Interdisciplinary performance artistSterling Toles, Sonic and visual artist
Malik Kenyatta Yakini, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network
Moderator: Charles Ezra Ferrell, Vice-President for Public Programs & Community Engagement, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
Concert of Colors will air in primetime on Detroit Public TV two hours a night for four consecutive nights, as well as being simulcast on Detroit Public Radio (WDET) and streamed online worldwide.
Broadcast:
6:00 pm EST, Tuesday, October 6, Live streamed on Detroit Public TV and FB
7-9:00 pm EST, Wednesday, Oct. 7 on DPTV; and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on WDET 101.9 FM
9:00 pm EST, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Oct. 8, 9 & 10 , DPTV and WDET 101.9 FM
8-10:00 pm EST, Sunday, Oct. 11 on WDET 101.9 FM
Concert of Colors is also partnering with world music festivals across the globe to broadcast the Detroit event to broad audiences worldwide.
For more information, visit: concertofcolors.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.